Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1887-10-31

Speaking of rich Indians the Indian
commissioner severely criticises the ac-
tions of the Creeks. They have law by
which when a man has fenced in q tract
Of land he can exclude all other Indians
from settling within quarter of n mile
of him. A number of Indians In the
Indian territory have cultivated farms Of
more than 900 acres, which are fenced
in, and by this fence they insure to them
selves the right to a thousand acres more
lying around them. One Indian, accord
ing to Gen. Atkins, has costly resi-
dence III the center of his thousand acres
with large barns and stables, and he en-
ploys his own people to cultivate his farm
at $l6 month each. These employees
live in huts and cabins on the estate, and
this Indian nabob raises every year 20, 900
bushels of corn and fattens 200 head Of
cattle and 300 head of hogs. He has
the right to his farm because he
settled upon it first and built the
fence around it, and there is
among the Chickasaws in the Washita
valley a solid farm fifty miles long. This
farm, strange to say, has an Indian land
lord and is cultivated by white labor.
There are farms of 1900 and 5000 acres
belonging to this same tribe and the land
monopolists among the Indians are many.
This Indian territory land is among
the best of the lands in the United States,
and it is entirely too large for the number
of Indians upon it. If all the Indians Of
the United States were taken there the
territory would give more than ESQ acres
to each man, woman and child among
them, and within Il very short time it is
| probable that some change will be made
There are now $4,000 Indians in Indian
territory, and the number OF acres it
comprises is Al 100000 If oil the land
east of SO degs. of longitude in the terri
tory was divided equally among all the
Indians now in that territory it would
| give each Indian $50 acres and would
le.ve more than 1900, 900 of acres open
to settlers. There are now more than
$500, 900 acres of unoccupied lands east of
% degs., and if the Indians west of that
| point were moved upon this each Indian
would have 4S3 acres, or about 300 more
than he could possibly use BY this
change the 49, 700, 900 acres left vacant
would give 1877, 900 white settlers farms of
100 acres each, and at five to the family
it would support GS7 900 souls. don't
believe with Phil Sheridan that the only
kind Of an Indian that the United States
ought to tolerate is the dead Indian; but
do not see any use in an Indian family
owning more than full section of land
HIS 10 iiOic titii tHty Coulu Jake cure Oh
by about 500 acres, and estimating the
PAT, 600 Indians to contain 80, 000 families
we could let each family have TAO acres
each and have 100,0O0,000 acres left.
Surprising half Of this 100, 0OO, 900 acres to
be good lands, it would furnish farms for
10000 100 acre farmers, and would sup
port at least 9, 500, 600 of an agricultural
population. If all of it was good it would
support twice rs many; and it is not In ac-
cordance with the survival Of the flttest
to allow $50, 900 savages to crowd $780,
600 whites away from some of the best
lands the Lord ever made.
In the meantime we are trying to edu-
cate the Indians and we appropriate about
$1,000, 900 year for this purpose. We
succeed very slowly, and about the time
we think We have made step for
ward some fellow like Colorow jumps
up and puts us about three times
Us far in the rear. OF the In
dams OF the United States less than one
! fifth can read English and only about one
tenth can read Indian. This is so, not
outstanding the education which pre-
walls i'll Indian territory and it is esti-
mated that out of the whole number of
Indians in the United States only about
one i'll six can talk enough English to en-
gage in ordinary conversation. Three
thousand Indians learned to read last
year, it is said, and l learn at the Indian
Office that $1,000 Indians weSr citizens